Police catch suspect in gas station killing

Joshua Roston, 33, turned himself into Philadelphia police on Jan. 17 after Nassau County Police Department said he was responsible for hitting and killing beloved gas station manager Cemal Dadgeviren. “He felt the pressure,” Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said at a press conference.

Roston put $22 worth of gasoline into his SUV at the Grand Avenue Pit Stop on Jan. 14 and tried to flee without paying when Dadgeviren jumped in front of his car in an effort to stop him. Roston hit the gas station manager, who later died from his injuries, and drove to Philadelphia where he has family and friends.

“This victory is kind of shallow,” Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said. “There is still a man and a family that have been destroyed over $22 worth of gasoline.” Police released a photo of the suspect, who is homeless and most recently lived in Baldwin, and a video of the incident hours after Dadgeviren was killed, which led to a flood of tips from a number of people that allowed cops to identify Roston as the suspect.

He turned himself into Philadelphia police shortly after Nassau cops released a mugshot of him from a prior arrest. Roston has a criminal history, according to cops — he was most recently arrested and charged with petit larceny for trying to steal a pair of boots from the Sears in the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream. He also fled a Rosevelt gas station in April 2018 after allegedly stealing $30 worth of gas.

Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said Roston could face 25 years to life in prison for the intentional murder of Dadgeviren and even more time for fleeing the scene.

Dadgeviren, a Turkish immigrant, was mourned by hundreds of people at a vigil on Jan. 15. Customers of the Pit Stop, including many Baldwin residents, remembered the late owner as a giving man. “They took a heartbeat away from this community,” Baldwin Harbor resident Patrick Keating said. Keating said he would take his vehicles to Dagdeviren’s shop for repairs — sometimes up to three times per month.